Star Words: Episode III, Part 44

[matril]

After watching Padmé die and Vader drown in his anguish and despair, it's almost essential for me that the next scene offers a flicker of hope. Arriving at Naboo, the last survivors of the Jedi Council and their stalwart friend plan for the twins' futures even as they prepared to lay Padmé to rest. There are several important loose ends to tie up here; how Leia ended up a princess on Alderaan and Luke a farmboy with the Lars family on Tatooine; how Obi-Wan and Yoda learned the special powers that will give them a voice even beyond the grave. I can't tell you how delighted I was to learn that Qui-Gon uncovered this secret and imparted it to Yoda, proof that he had insights far beyond the Council's myopic viewpoint.

But this entry's line comes from Bail. When he offers to adopt Leia with his wife, he makes a simple but powerful declaration:

"She will be loved with us."

Something about this quote is particularly moving to me. Perhaps it's knowing that George Lucas himself adopted several children and, by all appearances, is a very loving and devoted father. It feels so personal and heartfelt. (It's also why I have a soft spot for his later film Willow because the hero is defined by his ability to nurture and care for a baby, very unusual qualities for a male protagonist and too often undervalued. Anyway, watch Willow; it's great.)

As far as its importance within the story, this gives us a glimpse of the childhood Leia will have, one surrounded by love and caring. She inherits a strength of will and passion in her principles from her birth parents, no doubt, but her adoptive parents are also a crucial part of who she becomes. She wasn't taken to Alderaan from sheer exigency; she was very much wanted and cherished. Alas, this makes the loss of Alderaan in Episode IV that much more poignant. But for the saga's themes as a whole, it emphasizes the tremendous power of love, unconditional love between a parent and child, the sacrifices undergone to protect them and the unending promise that abounds from those sacrifices.

Okay. Just one more to go.....

Comments

[krpalmer]

I admit I'd hoped a bit this would be one more scene several lines from which were examined, but I can suppose now my thoughts on the revelations about Qui-Gon were probably more fussy and less fundamental. (While I can understand those who lament Liam Neeson not providing so much as a voiceover for this movie, the expanded script in "The Art of Revenge of the Sith" had Qui-Gon speaking to Yoda before Obi-Wan arrived at the space base, which feels to me like the wrong moment in the movie for what seems a hopeful revelation.)

I've seen people declaring it significant Yoda and Obi-Wan have the twins raised by more conventional families than trying to do it themselves the way the Jedi Order might have, and I can certainly ponder Qui-Gon influencing that decision. What I find myself thinking now, though, is "adoptive families" playing against accusations the saga somehow amounts entirely to "heredity."

[matril]

I love the revelation about Qui-Gon, obviously, but there wasn't really a single line of dialogue that stood out to me as an entry point. It's a fascinating concept, though. It's presented very economically, with just enough exposition to explain things while still leaving plenty of tantalizing questions for speculation.

And I think it's quite telling that Yoda and Obi-Wan didn't take it on themselves to raise the twins. Partly, I'm sure, they wanted to keep their latent abilities buried deep until the children were a less vulnerable age, which would have been harder if they'd had Jedi Masters constantly hovering around them -- also why they had to be separated. But I think it's also definitely a shift away from the old tradition of cutting off potential Jedi from their families at infancy.

I didn't mention another thing I love about this scene because it's a rather vindictive jab at the Disney movies -- it disproves the notion that Obi-Wan and Yoda simply turned tail and ran to hide forever once the Empire took over, and they only sort of stumbled into helping Luke and the Rebellion and such. When Mark Hamill was expressing his disagreement with Disney Luke's characterization because hiding and sulking isn't what Jedi do, people tried to point out Obi-Wan and Yoda's exiles as proof that it's exactly what Jedi do. Grrr. No. They were biding their time, licking their wounds and preparing the next generation. They hadn't given up, even when they knew the odds were rough. And nor would Luke, who ultimately far surpassed his old masters in wisdom and optimism. I obviously have a strong sensitivity to anyone misunderstanding Luke's nature so thoroughly.

[krpalmer]

I've interpreted "Yoda and Obi-Wan waiting for the right time" as also "waiting for Bail to build the Rebel Alliance," having figured out they can't overthrow the Sith and the Empire all by themselves. While I do see the point of not throwing down an "anti-Disney gauntlet" right away, I agree with your opinion. Still, I can wonder a little about "trying to accept every movie no matter who's made it," supposing I'd worked at "accepting a six-movie saga"... the problem does seem those old accusations of "nihilism" in things just sort of going to pieces. "Finding a way for the old heroes to forget what lessons they'd learned, or even come to the wrong conclusions," might have had some impact for me... the problem is I'm not sure that was ever really gone into with the casual assumption "lots of stuff on set" and "snappy dialogue" would solve everything.

[matril]

Giving time for the Alliance to grow makes sense. None of them are the type to give up, no matter how bleak the situation. I know a lot of people think it's more "mature" or "complex" to tear down heroes, but I just find it exhausting. It's one thing to have flawed characters; it's another thing to turn them all into dismal failures.